People with small hands have been crying out for a smaller smartphone for years, and Apple in 2020 finally delivered with the iPhone 12 Mini. Except it looks like Apple is discontinuing production of the smallest phone because of less than great sales.
JP Morgan’s supply chain analyst William Yang has reportedly cut production expectations for the iPhone 12 Mini by 11 million units, AppleInsider reported. Yang said Apple may even shut down production altogether in the second quarter of this year. Yang also revised his expectations for the standard iPhone 12 with 9 million units, while improving the numbers for both the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max by 2 million and 11 million units respectively. Surprisingly, the iPhone 11 also got a boost; Yang adjusted his expectations for the 2019 flagship with 8 million units.
This seems to confirm recent reports that the iPhone 12 Mini is not in high demand. Earlier in January, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners released a report that said, iPhone 12 Mini sales accounted for only 6% of total iPhone sales in October and November. Admittedly, the 12 Mini didn’t go on sale until November, but so did the 12 Pro Max, which accounted for about 20% of new iPhone sales during the same period. Another recent supply chain report from Nikkei Asia noted that while the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max exceeded expectations and the iPhone 12 lived up to them, the 12 Mini was “slow”.
There are enough reasons why that could be. To begin with, there is the iPhone SE. While the SE is slightly larger than the 12 Mini, it is also on the small side for a phone, and at $ 400, it is much cheaper too than the $ 700 Mini. Another problem is the battery. Its small size means it only has one 2,227 mAh battery, while the iPhone 12 uses a 2815 mAh battery and the 12 Pro Max a 3687 mAh battery. In Gizmodo’s review of the iPhone 12 Mini, the size was good, but the terrible battery life was definitely our biggest pain point.
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T.he 12 Mini might not be selling well, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be an eternal downfall for fans of more compact iPhones. T.he iPhone 13 rumors swirling so far highly recommend Apple stick with the four model line up this year. Should the Mini line get stuck, it’s possible Apple will figure out a way to cram in a bigger battery or optimize the software so that small phone fans can get the iPhone experience they want without sacrificing battery life. Other than that, there is always the iPhone SE and possible future upgrades for that line. So ddespite this news is still there hope, my little friends.